


A Blanket's Hug

by miraculouslycool



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Based on the episode, Canon-Compliant, Episode: s02 Reverser, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Hot Mess Adrien Agreste, Hot Mess Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Humor, LadyNoir - Freeform, MLsecretsanta2020, Pining, blanket chat, clumsy bug, filling in the gaps of the episode, i'm asking the important questions here, just how did they get together around the city cursed like that?, love square, well oblivious pining from ladybug's side
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:13:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28258251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraculouslycool/pseuds/miraculouslycool
Summary: If she stayed any longer in his arms, she would become too comfortable. And then she'd never want to leave.She had to get a hold of herself!---------------------------------------------------------In which Chat Noir happens to be way too adorable™ when he cursed with cowardice and Ladybug is Not Okay At All.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 11
Kudos: 149





	A Blanket's Hug

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so last month I watched one of my favourite episodes of Season 2, Reverser and I just HAD to know what exactly Ladynoir had to go through to get around the city TOGETHER, you know? So I just had to write this. My muse demanded it.
> 
> Merry Christmas to gopokegirl17 on Tumblr!! It has been amazing to be your secret santa for this year!! I hope you like this one!
> 
> Thank you to Luminousinthedark/PawsitiveStars for beta reading!

Ladybug barely had any chance to dodge when a paper airplane dissolved into her chest. 

Undeterred, she threw her yo-yo, aiming for Marc's waist.

Ignoring all definite laws of physics and indefinite laws of magic, the yo-yo bounced off the bridge and slammed right into the spot between her two eyebrows.

She squawked when she immediately fell over, tumbling over two benches and thudding onto the other side of the bridge. 

"Oww..." she groaned, rubbing her bruised insides. 

Marc's akumatised form let out a gleeful cackle. "How do you like your new role now, Ladyklutz?"

Oh no.

She was going to make  _ her civilian self _ look graceful, wasn't she?

She had to get up - she had to hold him off, at least until Chat Noir came by and cataclysmed his paper airplane-

"Your miraculous are mine!" she heard his yell, and a _ 'whoosh!'  _

"Nice costume!" she heard a comfortingly familiar voice. 

She opened disgruntled eyes, to catch sight of Chat Noir's perch on the Pont Des Arts, facing off the akuma all by himself. 

"Too bad we'll have to tear it up!" her partner taunted. 

To an outsider's point of view, it would look like Chat Noir was recklessly endangering himself by putting himself in such close proximity to his opponent. 

Even in her weirdly angled vision, only Ladybug could tell that Chat had deliberately positioned himself so that he'd be shielding her from Reverser's aim. 

"Everything okay, my lady?" he turned towards her, concern lacing his voice.

She could say nothing more than an annoyed grunt in reply.

Their enemy of the day was undeterred. "So you think you're brave, Chat Noir? Reversion!"

He smoothly dodged the paper airplane with a flick of his head. 

"Oh yeah, I'm so scared." He said snarkily. "Come on, my lady, let's wrap this up!"

"No!" Ladybug shouted, getting up. If Chat Noir got too close, he would be cursed too!

"Chat Noir, wait!" 

The world tilted on its axis again, and she stumbled, her face plastering itself against the cold brick of the bridge.

"My lady?" she heard Chat Noir's alarmed voice, and a suspicious grunt. 

She raised her head to find Chat screaming in fear as he flailed his arms, precariously stumbling off the very bridge he had been comfortably squatting on. 

What had he done to him?!

That was enough for Ladybug to get up on her feet, to face Reverser again, to get her brave partner and her grace back.

Her plans were promptly ruined by Chat Noir jumping into her arms in fright.

She was barely able to LIFT the same guy she could easily throw across Paris. 

Had Reverser even taken her strength from her?

She didn't have time to wonder, because the next thing she knew, her screams were mingling with his, and they went tumbling into the Seine. 

* * *

Water. 

She was aware that she was in water. She definitely remembered falling into a river.

Her limbs were a completely different story. 

She felt herself sinking deeper into the river bed.

Her arms were useless lumps of flesh, and her legs resembled those of a fish without its fins. 

Clawing through the water,she barely registered her surroundings. 

Where was Chat Noir? 

Her ears were boxed in. She was either paranoid for her chaton, or there were fish swimming inside her ears. 

" _ Gof yoo _ !" a hand wrapped around her wrist. 

She opened her mouth in shock before her own yo-yo was thrust at her face.

" _ Huwwy _ !" the same voice urged. 

Briefly, her brain allowed her to remember that her yo-yo could help her to breathe underwater. 

She pressed it against her mouth, and oxygen coursed through her veins. 

Wordlessly, the hand on her wrist tugged and she lifted her eyes to see Chat Noir.

Relief was so much better than the feeling of oxygen.

She reached out for him happily, only for her head to bonk against his chest.

A muffled shout escaped her. 

Chat Noir, for his part, wrapped his arm around her shoulder, probably going for a more comforting hold than the tight grip of his claws.

It only led to her floating away, away, away from his reach, until he managed to grab her wrist again. 

Wasn't he supposed to be cursed as a coward? 

Did the water wash off his curse? How was he pulling his weight to save her like he always did? 

A glimpse at his face gave her the answer. 

Even as he nodded his head towards the surface, his brows were knit in a terrifyingly straight line, and his shoulders were shaking. 

His eyes - determined, yet frightened - were waiting for her answer, so that he could pull the two of them to safety. 

She nodded, and only with a few moments of hesitation, he began to swim.

* * *

Ladybug idly wondered sometimes what it would be like if she was the one to follow Chat Noir's lead for once. 

The idea wasn't an unpleasant one, but she never really realised how grateful she would be for him. 

They finally pulled up to the surface for air, and she heaved herself up into the banks - with half of her body still in the water-, and heaved a huge breath.

Chat Noir wasn't cursed with mangled limbs, and he couldn't get away from the water fast enough. 

He only started to shiver uncontrollably after he pulled her out of the water completely. 

"Ugh." Ladybug groaned as she crawled up to the stairs she spotted, not willing to stand up and risk bruising her face again. 

"Even swimming is impossible with this curse." She sighed, half-pulling herself up using the wall as support.

Chat sneezed, a small, expressive sneeze that reminded her of a real cat, and replied, "Great, and now I'm sure I'm gonna catch a cold." His wheezing voice was scratchy, like it was hurting his throat to even speak. 

"How are we gonna defeat him?" Ladybug bemoaned, resting her elbows on the stair railing.

Marc had mentioned, well, more like screamed, that he was going after Nathaniel and herself. Seeing as she wasn't an option right now, he would definitely be going after Nathaniel. 

"What!? You wanna face him again? I really don't wanna fight that bad guy. He looks so mean..." Chat Noir trembled, affronted at her suggestion. 

"We don't have a choice, Chat Noir. Reverser is looking for a boy named Nathaniel. We've gotta find him before he does. Luckily, I know where to look."

He was probably still at school. She remembered that the art room was meeting for an extra two hours after school. If they could just get there...

But how? Her yo-yo was broken. Maybe if she could get Chat Noir to vault them there on his baton...

"I can't do it!" he shrieked.

...or maybe not. 

"The stairs are too high." He declared. "It's making me too dizzy."

Seriously? They were barely the height of a toddler's jungle gym!

The sliver of irritation went away as quick as it came once she heard his whimpers of fright. 

He was genuinely scared, and he couldn't even help it. 

Yet, he hadn't let go of her hand once when she had given him a dreadfully hard time inside the river. 

He hadn't given up on her like her poor limbs had. When she was about to hit her head against...somewhere, he would bodily shield her from the offending object.

He had practically saved her life and he had done it even though he was scared.

He wasn't even deserving of the title of a coward. 

Her chest bloomed with compassion as she extended a hand out towards him. 

"Here, kitty." She called out affectionately. "Come on, little kitty." She smiled widely when he tentatively took her fingers, letting her lead him closer. 

"See, that's it, we're good." She encouraged. "You're gonna be just fi-YAH!" her back had arched a degree too far and she went sprawling across the stairs. 

"Ughhh." She grumbled. "We're not out of the woods yet." 

Chat Noir scrambled behind her immediately, like he wasn't taking the steps of a toddler just seconds ago.

"Here you go." He whispered, his breath tickling her ear as he helped her up.

His hands were so breathtakingly gentle on her skin, she felt herself missing his touch once she was back on his feet.

" _ Chaton _ , you can do it." She held onto his arm once she found herself wobbling again. "You saved my life underwater, you shielded me from Reverser on Pont des Arts. You just gotta believe in yourself!"

"B-but I still got hit." He whimpered. "If- If I had- achoo-" he sneezed into his arm. "If I had gotten there quicker, you wouldn't have gotten-"

"Don't apologise." She patted his arm. "Let's just climb up these stairs. I can't stay on my feet, but you can. Would you be able to climb up while I guided you?" she inquired, waiting for his answer. "We'll take it one step at a time. What do you say?"

His jaw set in a firm line as he nodded.

* * *

Chat practically screamed as they got to the top of the stairs. 

"We're gonna die!"

"No!" Ladybug reached out for his shoulders, but completely missed, her hands touching his chest instead. "It's okay. We're not gonna die. We're okay, see?" she turned his head to the stairs. "We made it. You made it."

"O-okay." He shivered, hugging himself tightly. "I'm f-freezing." 

"Hmmm...we're in no condition to be using our weapons to travel." Ladybug mused, watching the vehicles on the busy main road. 

"Don't tell me we're gonna walk!!" Chat screeched. 

"No!" Ladybug clarified. "No, no walking. I promise. We'll take a cab. That'll be okay, right? We won't be harmed by anything that way."

"We could get into a car crash, Ladybug!" Chat looked at her like she was mad. "We could hurt ourselves on a car seat,  _ we could get a flat tire!!" _

"Okay." Ladybug placed her hands on her hips, unamused. "Looks like Reverser reversed your priorities too." 

"S-sorry." He whimpered. "I don't think I can do this. You should just leave me here, my lady. I'll only slow you down."

"Have you looked at me?" she pointed to herself. "I'll slow  _ me _ down! I can barely stand without holding on to you! I need you around!"

"You sure I won't run away screaming at random butterflies because I'd think they are akumas?" he smiled half-heartedly.

"You are a brave kitty." She patted his cheek, her eyes softening. "I believe in you. I'm not going ahead with this fight without my partner." 

"Achoo!" he sneezed, before leveling a grateful smile at her. "Thank you, m'lady. You're much more kinder to this stray than he deserves."

"Oh stop." She tried to wave it off, but somehow ended up sticking her finger in her eye. "I'm okay! I'm okay!!" she said hastily as he reached out to her. 

"You'll be back good as new soon enough, and you'll be denying any of this ever happened." 

"Me? Deny my Lady's kind heart? Never!" 

She chuckled to herself, trying to hide her surprise. How could he be as forward and flirty as ever even now? Not that she was complaining. It was a sweet sentiment.

"Taxi!" she flagged down a cab. 

A car stopped in front of her, and a confused cab driver rolled down his window. 

"Hi," Ladybug said sheepishly. "I know this sounds weird but we really need your help. Do you think you can give us a ride to Francois Dupont?" she requested. "If you give us your address, I'm sure we can get you the money-"

"Don't sweat it." The cab driver tipped his cap. "Anything for the heroes of Paris. It's on the house."

"Thank you sir!" Ladybug sighed in relief, opening the car door. "Come on, Chat, let's-" 

"My lady, your-!" was all he got out before she tripped and fell again. 

"- yo-yo string." He grimaced.

* * *

"Can you please lower the air conditioner??" Chat Noir said for the fifth time. 

"But it is turned off!" The driver was trying really hard to not lose his patience. 

"Chat." She whispered urgently, placing her hand on his trembling shoulder. "Will you be okay?" 

"J-just peachy, m'lady." He rubbed his nose.

He looked absolutely miserable. He was shivering like a chihuahua, avoiding eye contact with anything that wasn't the floor. 

" _ My poor chaton _ ." She whispered, squeezing his shoulder. 

What could she do? She couldn't reverse the spell just yet. 

(The normal Chat Noir would have enjoyed that pun) 

She couldn't make his fear go away...

"Achoo!" he sneezed violently. "This car is going too fast!"

"But I'm driving below the speed limit!"

But she could at least get him to stop shivering. The only way to stop his cold, as abnormal as it was, was through body heat. 

And a single hand on his ice-cold shoulder wasn't helping. 

"C-chat N-noir?" 

Dear god, why was  _ she _ stammering now??

"Y-yes, m'lady?" he whimpered.

"Do you want to c-come closer?" she stuttered.

Why was she? This was Chat Noir! It didn't mean anything, she was just helping him out! She couldn't just sit there while he was struggling!

His eyes widened. "Are you sure?" he gaped. "Y-you don't have to!"

"Oh, just get in here." She tugged on his arm, pulling him closer to her. "Look at you, you're freezing!" 

"I hate this curse." He muttered, which was quite ironic, because he certainly nuzzled his head into her shoulder quite comfortably.

"Don't worry." She said, and she didn't want to unhear the happy sigh he let out as he nuzzled his blond mop of hair into her shoulder. 

She giggled a little. 

"What? What is it?" he tensed, and she regretted startling him.

"No, no, it's nothing. Your cat ears are ticklish." She stifled a giggle.

"Oh, s-should I-?" he stumbled, edging away but she wrapped an arm around his waist, bringing him back to his original position. 

"Don't you dare think I'm gonna let you freeze." She ordered, rubbing his back. 

All throughout the first 10 minutes of their ride, Chat Noir had screamed at passing flashlights, asked the driver to turn down the air conditioning until he had given up and turned it off, shook violently even though the cab was going at a normal pace. 

The next 15 minutes, he refused to look anywhere that wasn't Ladybug's lap, and had held on to Ladybug's waist tighter every time he felt like the car was too fast for his taste. 

"That's it,  _ mon chaton _ ." Ladybug crooned into his cat ears as she scratched behind them. That seemed to be the only thing her hands were useful for now. "You're doing so well. I'm here. I'm right here." 

"I know, bugaboo." He said, nuzzling his nose into her neck.

She liked that. It wasn't ticklish, but it did send tingles throughout her body. His arms felt so snug around her waist, and who knew that the catboy was basically a human furnace? 

They should hold each other like this more often. She really liked it. 

She...really liked it? 

Oh NO. She  _ really _ liked it!

She wasn't supposed to do that!

Frantically, she searched the car, the streets, the window, something, anything - 

"Wait! Stop the car!" Ladybug suddenly squeaked. 

Chat yelped and the driver grunted as he did so. "What now?" 

"I have to get something from there!!" She pointed outside, opening the car door, instantly missing Chat Noir's warmth. He had cooperated and let go of her. 

"Ladybug. That's a department store." The driver deadpanned. "The school is just around the corner." 

"I know! Be right back!" she jumped out of the car and tumbled, only to catch herself at the last second. 

"I'm okay!" she got right back up and stumbled into the store. 

"Do you want me to come with you?" Chat Noir called. 

"No need!!" She didn't face him. He couldn't see her face and realise it was as red as her suit.

If she stayed any longer in his arms, she would become too comfortable. And then she'd never want to leave. 

She had to get a hold of herself!

She managed to not fall on her face as she staggered towards the front desk of the store. 

"Hi, do you know where I can get some blankets?" she asked the astonished sales clerk.

* * *

It was hard to believe that the same guy who told off two cab drivers like an overworked mother of three was also the one who looked at her like she had hung the sky, stars and the moon when she offered him the blanket. 

"You are a public health hazard!" he had said snappishly, turning around to join her, Alix, and Nathaniel, as they faced the Eiffel Tower. 

If she had listened closely, and she was, he let out a sassy little  _ 'hmph' _ . 

The Marinette in her had wanted to double over and giggle at her overgrown child of a partner. 

The Ladybug in her told herself to focus.

There was an akuma to defeat.

"That's strange." She looked down to see Alix squint at the sky after letting go of her arm. "The stars are out early."

Remembering Reverser's threat, Ladybug frowned. "Those are not stars. The trash is entering the atmosphere. In just a few minutes, it'll be like having a meteor shower, except with dumpsters instead!"

If they didn't act fast, there was going to be an explosion of garbage all across Paris. 

A familiar chatter of teeth rattled her from her plan-making. 

Chat had covered the blanket she had gotten him around his entire body. He was encased in it like a cocoon. 

Her heart moved with pity. Any other time, she would have found Chat's charm adorable, right now she wanted to get herself under that blanket and cuddle against his chest until he stopped shivering enough to purr against her hair.

Wait, what?

What was  _ wrong _ with her?! Did Reverser get to her head too?! 

"Don't be scared, Chat Noir." She placed a hand on his shoulder. None of that was important. He needed her right now. 

"We can do this." She affirmed, gently moving the hood to reveal his face.

He calmed down much quicker than he had that morning. "You're right, my lady. Our powers may be gone, but we still make an excellent team." 

She nodded, reveling in the comfort his belief in her gave.

Taking in a deep breath, she called. "Lucky Charm!"

A bundle of bamboo sticks landed on her head.

Seriously, how did she not have a concussion yet? 

* * *

"I-I'm really sorry I did that to your book." Nathaniel stammered nervously, but one could easily tell that he was truly apologetic. "There is really no excuse for how I acted."

"It's-It's okay!" Marc readily said. "I'm sorry Marinette and I didn't give you the whole story. We didn't mean to confuse you." 

Marinette bit the inside of her cheek, watching a red blush bloom on Marc's cheek as he and Nath shook hands. 

"I must confess I feel like I missed a lot." Chat Noir said, towering over her as usual now that his bravery had returned. 

His swagger and obnoxiousness had returned. The Chat Noir who jumped headlong into battle without any reservations is who he truly was, after all.

But Ladybug would never admit out loud that she simultaneously missed him. All of him.

The Chat Noir who swam through an entire river to save her and let himself be tied to a flying kite to save the day, despite being cursed with cowardice. 

The Chat Noir who she had cuddled with in the backseat of a car-

"It's a very long story." Alix thankfully interrupted her thoughts, shrugging her shoulders fondly at the two of them.

Her earrings and his ring beeped. "Whoops gotta go." Chat Noir said. 

"Thanks for helping us out Alix!" Ladybug called back as she swung away. 

"See you!" she heard Chat Noir say as he followed her. 

She landed on the first roof in the street nearest to the Champ De Mars. 

A minute later, a thud of boots told her that Chat Noir had landed too. 

"I believe that concludes our adventure for today, my lady." Chat Noir bowed deeply, grinning at her. "Thank you kindly for putting up with this scaredy cat." 

"Oh you weren't too scared. You only screamed at 58 streetlights." She teased. "And yes, I counted." 

"Ha, ha, very funny." 

"Besides, I owe you one for putting up with a klutz like me." She rolled her eyes. "I know what you're thinking.  _ 'Ladybug? How can she be a klutz?' _ Believe it or not, this girl has two left feet outside of the mask." She pointed to herself.

"I know." He said simply. 

"Say what?" Ladybug gaped. 

"Maybe not when you're transformed, but yeah, I know that you're clumsy, Ladybug."

"You're joking, right? I never told you about that until now!" 

What was this cat on? 

"Oh, is that so?" he said, as if in deep thought. "Gee, I wonder how I know."

"Hey, either quit mocking me or get to the elephant in the room." She poked his chest. 

"I'm no elephant, m'lady." He took her hand. 

"But when a girl in a spotted ladybug costume lands on you-"

He kissed the spot at the center of the back of her palm. 

"-gets herself tangled up with you with her magic yo-yo-" 

He placed two featherlight kisses on her knuckles. 

"-and introduces herself as  _ 'maladroite'- _ " 

A kiss on the inside of her wrist. 

"-you find it really hard to forget something like that." He said cheekily. 

"You remember?" 

It had to be something about the way he said it.

He had reverently remembered the very first thing she had told him, and was reminiscing it like a bedtime story he would one day tell his kids over and over again with none of the vigour or sparkle lost. 

And he was so darn proud of himself for it too.

Great.

Now her heart wouldn't stop pounding in her ears.

And it was all his fault! 

"Why would I not remember?"

She took her hand away from his. The spots where he had kissed her still tingled. 

"Nothing....it was just so long ago." She mumbled. "And I didn't think you would..." she purposefully left the sentence hanging.

She didn't think he would remember the disaster of an idiot she had been on her first day of being a superhero. 

She didn't think he would talk of  _ her _ with so much light in his eyes. 

He shrugged, his eyes despondent. "You're right. It was really long ago. Don't blame you for not remembering." 

"We should get going, don't you think?" Ladybug cleared her throat. 

"Oh sure!" he nodded vigorously, turning around and bending down to pick up something. 

"Wait a second, you brought that with you?!" Ladybug gasped, staring at the blanket.

"Bugaboo, you need to stop asking such obvious questions." He laughed warmly, and the sound reverberated through her spine.

"You got this blanket for me, didn't you?" he asked, carefully draping it over his arm like it was made of the finest of silk. 

"Yes... I thought it would help you feel calmer since I was - I MEAN, in case we got separated or something!" she blabbered.

"It did help me out a lot. Thank you, bugaboo." He said sincerely. "If it wasn't for you, I don't know how I would have got through today."

"Don't mention it." She waved it off. "You would have done the same. You _ have _ done the same." She corrected herself.

"I'm keeping this with me always. I'll go to sleep with it, I won't let anyone but you get even an inch close to it." He said possessively, holding it to his chest. 

It took Ladybug a second to remember he was talking about the  _ blanket _ and not her. 

She hated herself. 

"Geez, chaton, it's almost like I got you a baby binkie instead of a blanket." She retorted.

"Potato, potahto." He shot back. 

"It'll be in the right hands." She said, patting his arm with the blanket. "If I had it I'd probably do something stupid and ruin it." 

Things like wrapping herself in a blanket cocoon and imagining him there with her. Stupid things like that.

"Another fun fact. The me behind the mask is not the greatest at being organized." She said.

"She sounds wonderful. Hope I get to meet her someday." He joked. 

"Chat." She said warningly. 

"I know, I know. Don't worry about it." He said, climbing on the ledge of the roof. 

"Hey!" she called one last time. "When winter rolls by, you should bring it with you to patrol!" 

He turned around and winked. "I solemnly promise!" he called back, before vaulting backwards on his pole and leaping away like the show off he was. 

His words were determined not to leave with him, though. 

_ 'She sounds wonderful. Hope I get to meet her someday.'  _

"Someday." Marinette repeated to herself in a sigh.


End file.
